Happy New Year

News from: diane on 25 January 2010

Well here we are rapidly approaching the end of January 2010! It seemed as if one minute we were all preparing for the oncoming Christmas festivities, - then the next we were battling seriously with the elements. Fortunately this time we stayed dry during the flooding, but tragically so many people were less lucky. The snow in December brought things to a halt, until we learnt to deal with it. The Lake District was breath taking and could not fail to inspire all Lakeland artists in to action. I am sure that all Lakeland Galleries must be showing a wealth of winter scenes as a result. I painted a large picture of Rydal Water and the boat house, when the lake was frozen. I have just produced 3 Artist proofs as a precursor to releasing a new limited edition, 'Frozen Water',of it. I have the original in Viridian gallery in Keswick. I am currently working on watercolours for Thornthwaite Galleries when they re open in February. They will also have some of my new prints including 'Frozen Water'. I always find this an exciting time of the year - lots of fresh ideas - galleries needing work for the new season - and lots of time in my studio! I wish you all a Happy, Healthy and enjoyable New Year.

Spotlight On

News from: diane on 13 May 2009

'Into Thin Air' is our latest exhibition in the gallery. Strong atmospheric oils with some collage and ink drawing by Phil Entwistle make a dramatic body of work, and once again the feel in the gallery is influenced by the addition of new work. Artists statement :- I want to express the wonder I felt as a child, and still feel now. I sometimes start on a piece of work by thinking about a specific place and time – often going way back to youth or even childhood. For example, seeing the mountains for the first time, feeling small and insignificant. My aim is that people may be reminded of these feelings when they look at my work. I always begin with some idea what the final work will look like – but sometimes it takes off in an unexpected direction. I work in various media: I like the physical feel of oil paint; the swirl of oil and ink into rich, marbled textures; the raw directness of charcoal; the intensity of pastels that when layered can also be beautifully subtle. Collage gives the freedom to experiment with the composition very quickly and then to select intuitively. The best bit, when it works, is seeing something coming out and realising it was a feeling I’d had, nothing intentional at all. It’s humbling to recognise that it’s not logical, and can’t be forced. I grew up in Lancaster and discovered fell walking as a teenager. I’m seeking ways to uncover what draws me back again and again to mountain landscapes, and in particular to the Lake District. The ideas I’m exploring include a challenging upland journey, the history of those who’ve made their homes and livelihoods amongst the mountains, and the physical processes that have formed the landscape. In addition to the Spotlight On exhibition most of the other displays have been refreshed for the new season and you will always find exciting surprises.

Alnwick Exhibition

News from: diane on 13 May 2009

I have just completed work for two exhibitions. I am fortunate to exhibit regularly with Stirling Art Gallery in Scotland, and have just taken several new Scottish originals for their latest exhibition. I was invited to exhibit at The Gate Gallery, in Alnwick. They have the most superbly spacious exhibition room and I thoroughly enjoyed putting the work together. The exhibition runs until the end of May and includes new Northumberland originals, as well as some Cumbrian and Scottish ones. As a result of the exhibition I have produced a new panoramic Limited Edition print of Lindisfarne to go with my Bamburgh Castle,and a limited Edition of Alnwick Castle. These new prints unfortunately are not on my web site yet, but most of my editions are available in Viridian Gallery. Finally we have a web site for the gallery now www.viridiangallery.co.uk - still not quite completed but we are getting there